Read the Constitution...Please!!!

I was watching the news and once again, a government official was misquoting the US Constitution regarding the "church and state" issue. I wish people would take 5 minutes to really read the Constitution and not just try to make it say what they want it to say in order to keep God out of government. Nowhere in the Constitution are the words "separation of church and state" mentioned, they are however, written in Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto. Many people think it came from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson which said he would "keep the government out of the church" not the church out of the government. The amendment to the Constitution that everyone so often misquotes is below.

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This does NOT say that we are to keep religion out of the government, it says we are to keep the government out of religion, just as Thomas Jefferson wrote in his letter. There is really no way to keep our faith out of government, since the government is made up of people...of many faiths. But government, being a mix of people of many faiths, an entity, should not and really, cannot mix with religion. It is impossible, because the faiths are too different, and government cannot make them agree. Nor should it try. The main reason our founding fathers left England is that they did not want to be forced to attend the Church of England, which is what was going on. Government ruling over religion.

In my opinion, the religious beliefs of the people in our government have had some of the most positive effects on our laws, and it is only as we push God further and further out that our laws begin to be as corrupt as those of the communist countries. And isn't it funny that the churches have no problem displaying the American flag, the constitution, etc, but the 10 Commandments, nativity scenes, etc can't be on public property. I say put the Bibles back in school, and even read from the Quran. At least then, everyone will know what it really says.

And an addition from my friend Jim - One more thing, since all the founders kept diaries and almost all of them wrote in them what they said in the meaning of the constitution, and each related phrase to mean. None of them wanted anything outlawed as far as religion goes. The FIRST thing the new congress did was to pray a prayer "IN JESUS NAME!!". If they didn't mean for that to happen, they would have stopped it. I believe they all applauded?